Dogtown And Z-boys

   Even people clueless about skateboarding can enjoy “Dogtown and Z-Boys,” a 2001 Sundance award-winner that chronicles the hidden history--to those who remain earthbound, that is--of how the sport took off in the early 1970s. What American town doesn't have kids zooming into the air courtesy of these seemingly insubstantial pieces of wood on wheels? They owe it all to the Southern California youth culture that, three decades ago, developed the extreme angles now taken for granted in this popular activity. Director Stacy Peralta is himself seen as one of the rough-and-tumble adolescents, often the children of divorce, who gather in the Dogtown section of Santa Monica and Venice dubbed “the last seaside slum.” Surfer dudes with attitude, they need some form of recreation when the waves are not up to snuff. Many of them join the Zephyr Skating Team, so named for a surf shop/teen hangout owned by board designer Jeff Ho and two friends.

   Who better to narrate the documentary than Sean Penn, whose role in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” nailed the surfer/stoner persona to perfection? With extensive footage from the era, the story traces the rise and fall of the Z-Boys, as they are called. They start skating at school playgrounds before discovering empty backyard swimming pools; sometimes the kids do the emptying with clandestine efficiency. The group has its own “stars,” such as Tony Alva, Jay Adams and Peralta, who each push the vertical envelope.

   The Z-Boys captivate the country at a 1975 national championship by demonstrating far more daredevil physicality than the mainstream competition. Fame and riches beckon; some find success, but others discover how elusive it can really be. We see them all on camera, then in youth and now in middle age, pioneers in a seriously thrilling game.    Starring Jeff Ho, Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams, Tony Alva, Skip Engblom, Craig Stecyk and Henry Rollins; Narrated by Sean Penn. Directed by Stacy Peralta. Written by Stacy Peralta and Craig Stecyk. Produced by Agi Orsi. A Sony Pictures Classics release. Documentary. Rated PG-13 for language and some drug references. Running time: 89 min.